President William Ruto unveiled four measures on Mashujaa Day at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, aiming to boost household income and employment.
Workers earning KSh32,333 or less per month will be exempt from Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deduction; current law taxes the band at 25 per cent and incomes up to KSh24,000 at 10 per cent.
The National Treasury has been directed to draft a stamp duty exemption for land transactions valued at KSh1 million or less; urban land currently incurs 4 per cent stamp duty and rural land 2 per cent.
Ruto proposed removing the 25 per cent import duty on mobile phones, a levy introduced in the 2026/25 financial year, to make devices more affordable.
The government will expand the National Internship Programme to absorb 50,000 youth with a monthly stipend, placements through a digital merit-based system and incentives for private employers.
Ruto said the proposals would be submitted to Parliament the following week and quoted that “For workers on modest incomes, every shilling saved means more money to meet their families’ needs, including food, transport, and other essentials.”
He added that “These measures will help reduce the cost of acquiring and transferring land, strengthen security of land ownership and make property ownership more accessible to ordinary Kenyans.”
On phones, he noted “A mobile phone is no longer a luxury. It is a classroom, a marketplace, a bank, an office and, for many young Kenyans, a gateway to employment.”
Regarding the internship, he said “Too many young people cannot secure employment without experience, yet cannot gain experience without employment. This programme is intended to break that cycle by providing a pathway from education to practical and productive workplace experience and, ultimately, meaningful employment.”
He concluded that “Our purpose is clear: to put more money in the pockets of workers, make ownership easier for families, bring digital opportunity within reach, and open the doors of employment to our young people.”
